A scarecrow stood in the middle of a field.

His job was to keep birds from eating te seeds.

But he was a very lazy scarecrow.

Soon, the birds came and began to eat the seeds.

"I don't care!" the scarecrow said.

They sat on his head and on his arms.

Spring turned to summer and the field was bare.

All the seeds were gone.

The scarecrow was sad. It was hot, and the wind blew dust into his eyes.

He waved his arms around and around.

The farmer came by in his truck.

That scarecrow is working hard now, he thought.

So the farmer moved the scarecrow to a better field.

Green plants danced around the scarecrow's feet.

A bird came, and this time the scarecrow waved his arms to scare it away.

"Go Away!" he shouted. "Leave my plants alone!"

In the autumn, the plants were tall and strong.

It was the best harvest the farmer had ever had.

He was so pleased, he gave the scarecrow a new hat for the winter.

The scarecrow was happy. I will never be lazy again, he thought.